My kingdom for some fresh basil

Well I have it in my head to make some Chicken Panang. I have never made it before but I found a pretty straight-forward recipe, I have some fresh Red Thai curry (my aunt works at a custom spice store in Littleton, CO and they make everything fresh - the spice blends and rubs for meat are AMAZING), and the weather is perfect for cooking.

So I just lacked some fresh basil. I went on a hunt this morning from 10:30-11:30am.

1.Whole Foods in Silver Spring. For those of you who have not been out to the inner burbs, this is an OK WF store. Lots of heteros and kids -particularly on Sunday mornings. And this morning the store was FULL of straight guys with kids doing their shopping. They all looked displeased with having to go shopping and they all looked VERY frustrated. The sexual tension from these domesticated males was almost stifling. Oh and there was no fresh basil.

There were a few homos at the store and a couple saw my red hanky (LINK IS NOT SAFE FOR WORK) in my back pocket. The red hanky is a joke that started on St. Patrick's Day - I am doing it to see how long it will actually take for someone to approach me about it. So far the hanky approach is a total failure. But the red does get some homos a little excited. This couple did look slightly flush as they waited behind me in the checkout line.

2. So I jetted off to the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Co-op and it was jam packed. Oh, I forgot it was Earth Day. So it was all the eco-crunchy-liberals in crocs and their brats outside listening to some Joan Baez drag show. I am usually more accepting - but I was on a mission and these people were in the way. I did get some more Lavender Shampoo (smells so good and is organic), I refilled on my Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds (it is scented with real spruce oil, fully biodegradable, and very sudsy), I got some more Lavender/Rosemary bulk soap (saponified by local lesbians and totally organic), but no basil.

3. So then I ran down the street to the Takoma Park farmer's market. The "beef kid" was there which I took as a good sign. The beef kid is 20 or so, always looks slightly hung over, sells organic meat and eggs with his dad, is so generic that he is the boy next door, and all of that makes him extremely hot. Tends to cruise too - I think he might be family. So I said hi and then had to wade through the throngs to find fresh basil. Of course, they had 1000s of small live basil plants but the leaves were all the size of a dime and too young to have any good flavor. No basil!!! Skunked.

So I went to the Big Bad Woof to get Linus a treat and they have Doggie Ice Cream again!!! Linus was thrilled - and he got his ice cream after a bath. He looks and smells wonderful!

So I will be making Panang without basil - I'll share the recipe if it tastes OK. I'm thinking about using the Young Lover's as guinea pigs - they are scheduled for cribbage tomorrow night. If Chaka can make it over, we might play a couple rounds of Hearts.